Gold rush on in 4 EV towns, MGB-8 to investigate

By AURORA J. CASIMPAN, PIA 8
January 14, 2012

TACLOBAN CITY  –  The veracity of the reports of gold rush activities in four towns in Eastern Visayas will be subjected to an investigation by the regional office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

The mining activities which are illegal cannot be left unchecked as it might trigger a possible landslide incident.  Illegal mining activities in the Compostela Valley were the source of the landslide incident which killed 30 people and left several people unaccounted for. Such incident is the basis why the regional MGB will conduct an investigation on the reported mining activities.

Such was the explanation of MGB regional director Roger De Dios stressing that Eastern Visayas has been identified as landslide prone region in the country and with the continuous rains being experienced in the area landslide incidents might be a possibility especially in areas being illegally mined. MGB has listed 2,531 barangays across the region as susceptible to landslide incidents.

De Dios identified the towns of Pintuyan, San Ricardo and Saint Bernard all in Southern Leyte and the town of Balangiga in Eastern Samar as being reported on gold rush activities.

While illegal gold panning has been going for thirty years in Pintuyan and San Ricardo towns, the reported gold rush is Saint Bernard and Balangiga is just new.

A few years back barangay San Francisco in Saint Bernard experienced landslide incident and buried barangay Guinsaugon with a similar calamity. Both incidents killed several residents of both places.

De Dios disclosed that a team has already been sent to check on the report and monitor the reported gold rush on the areas.